Original poem reprinted online here: "On. On. Stop. Stop" by Saskia Hamilton Originally read: March 1, 2013 More information about the Poet: Saskia Hamilton The punctuation in the title foreshadows something in the poem, but taken by itself, the title seems too post modern. A period after each word -- why should I pause after each word, and why is does the title have repetition of "on" and "stop"? I think, at first, the title didn't make me hopeful. The contents and technique in the poem though brought me in. The first sentence plays with the idea of the present and the past: "In the old recording of the birthday party, the voices of the living and the dead instruct twelve absent friends on the reliable luxury of gratitude" Past me wrote in the box to remind myself that "this poem is viewed in the now." And at first, I wondered who are these dead people? Why are some guests absent? I think this is important to note about this ...
Formerly the RetailMFA, This is the Poetry Blog of Darrell Dela Cruz